be because of their sins: but where were then the praise of God's grace which is the end of God's election? Shall we not by this means make God's election without an end, and so without a head, and so no election at all, as some would have, further than they elect themselves?" "Again he sheweth the certainty of salvation to them that be elected, in saying that they may be accepted in the beloved: once accepted and beloved in Christ, and ever beloved; for whom he loveth, he loveth to the end. And God's gifts are such that therefore saith Christ, I know whom I have chosen, attributing to election the cause of final perseverance. By which thing Judas was seen not to be elected to eternal life, although he was elected to the office of an apostle." "He also sheweth the certainty of the salvation of the elect by calling them heirs ;" and by saying that they are elect and predestinate to the praise of God's glory, which we should more care for than the salvation of all the world, and which is set forth as well in them that perish and are reprobates, to the Ephesians, chap. i. 3-14., after which he thus proceeds. "From these words of Paul we may well perceive every thing affirmed in my proposition. First, that the cause of God's election is of his good will."-"Secondly, that election was before the beginning of the world.”—“ Thirdly, that election is in Christ."-" Fourthly, that election is of some of Adam's posterity, and not of all. This we may plainly see if we consider that he maketh the true demonstration of it, believing, hoping, and having the earnest of the Spirit."-"Again, he cannot repent him of them: and in attributing to the elect forgiveness of sins, holiness, blameless living, being in Christ, &c."-"All men have not faith, saith Paul elsewhere; none believeth, saith Luke, but such as were ordained to eternal life. None believe but such as be born of God."-" So that it is plain that all men are not clect, because all men believe not: for he that believeth in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, that is, he never shall be removed for if he be removed, that is, finally perish, surely he never truly believed.". "Our Saviour plainly saith all be not chosen but few," In the words before written (Eph. i. 3-14) the Apostle declares, Fifthly, that God hath predestinated these, thus elected unto everlasting life in Christ."-"Sixthly, that the end of election is to the praise of God's glory and grace." Seventhly, that predestination is not without vocation in God's time and justification :"-" whereby we may see that predestination or election is not universal of all, for all be not justified."-"Eighthly, and last of all, that election is so certain that the elect and predestinate to eternal life shall never finally perish or err to damnation."-"They are predestinate to the praise of his grace." "Which were not grace, if there were any respect at all of works on our behalf, for then were grace no more grace. If there should be any condemnation of the elect and predestinate to eternal life, it must needs 66 as in the elect."-" Let them tremble and fear that may not away with the glory of the Lord in election and reprobation. Let not their eyes be evil because God is good, and doth good to whom it pleaseth him. Wrong he doth to no man, nor can do, for then he were not righteous, and so no God. He cannot condemn the just, for then were he untrue, because his word is contrary. He cannot condemn the penitent and believer; for that were against his promise. Let us therefore labour and study, cry and pray for repentance and faith, and then cannot we be damned, because we are the blessed of the Father before all worlds. Therefore we believe, and therefore we repent." Let us then search out "how rich God's goodness is, and will be to his children. This we can never do: but the more we go about it; and the more we taste his goodness, the more we shall love him, and loathe all things that displease him. This, I say, let us do, and not be too busy in searching the majesty and glory of God, or in nourishing in anywise the doubting of our salvation, whereto we are ready enough, and the devil goeth about nothing else so much as that."-" But as he prevailed not against Christ, no more shall he against any of his members, for they have the shield of faith which quencheth his fiery darts: they praise God night and day: how then should they perish"-" Nothing shall separate them from the love wherewith God loveth them in Christ Jesus, who saith that it is impossible for them to err finally to damnation, for he is their light to illumine their darkness."-"He saith that he will keep them so that they shall never perish. After they believe, they are entered already into everlasting life. Christ hath set them there already. He hath committed them into his Father's hands by prayer, which we know is sure; and therefore neither death, nor hell, nor devils, nor all power, nor sins, nor mischief, shall ever pull our heads out of his hands, whose members we are: and therefore, receiving of his spirit as we do, we cannot but bring forth the fruits thereof, though now and then the flesh fail us. But the Lord, even our Lord be praised, which is more strong in us than he which is in the world: he always putteth under his hand that we lie not still, nor shall do as the reprobate, whose piety is as the morning dew, soon come and soon gone, and therefore they cannot continue to the end:-cannotno, they will not if they could; because they hate God and his glory, and therefore all them that seek it or set it forth whereas the elect love all men, and seek to do all men good in God, suspending their judgments of others, that they may stand or fall to the Lord, and not to them." I have produced the above pas sages not as specimens either of convincing argument, or of useful disquisition, but simply as evidence of the real sentiments of an eminent Father and Martyr of the English Church. The question to be considered is not, whether such reasoning be supported by Scripture, and be beneficial in its tendency: on that point there will be much dif ference of opinion: but whether it does not tend to prove incontestably, that the system of doctrine usually termed calvinistic was embraced by some at least of our reformers, and tolerated by the rest. The use which I wish to make of this circumstance is not to recommend to your readers the adoption of those opinions which Bradford espoused; but to found on it an argument for charity and peace. Let any one compare the language which Latimer has employed, (See Christian Observer, p. 1-6.) in discussing the doctrines of election and final perseverance, with that which I have now extracted from the writings of Bradford, and he will at once perceive that these two reformers differed widely in their speculations on these mysterious points. But do we not admit both to be Christians in the best sense of that term? Or are we disposed to anathematize either of them as ignorant of the Gospel, as a heretic, a schismatic, "an unsound member of the Church," "adissenter in the Church," or as "guilty of a crime closely bordering on perjury?" For my own part I should have rejoiced had these holy men been silent on such topics, and confined themselves to the exposition of those plain, fundamental, influencial principles, which both of them embraced with equal cordiality; and of those practical results which are the genuine growth of such principles, and which the lives of both so happily exemplified. I should no less rejoice were this course pursued by pious divines of the present day. But as this is a consummation more to be wished than expected, it becomes a duty incumbent on those 66 which shall as assuredly end in joy. "Blessed," says Christ, are they that mourn."This may be interpreted first as referring to the afflictions which many pious men endure, while the gay and the thoughtless seem to be free from them. They come into no trouble," said the Psalmist, "like other folk; neither are they plagued like other men; their eyes stand out with fatness. They have more than heart could wish." While he says of himself, "For all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning." Many parts of Scripture speak of the afflictions of the righteous as for instance, "For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he re who desire the peace of the Church, to lessen, as much as possible, the hurtful effects of religious controver sy, by detecting the misrepresentations, and endeavouring to moderate the heat and acrimony, of the parties engaged in it. The extracts which have been produced from the writings of Bishop Latimer will serve to shew, that a man may object to the adoption of the calvinistic system, without being justly charge. able with a deficiency of evangelical light: and those from Bradford,that a man may adopt that system in its full extent, and yet be an eminently holy man, a sound, useful, and conscientious minister of the Church of England. And the example of both may teach us, that a difference of opinion on such sub-ceiveth :" and again, "Many are jects ought not to affect the interests of Christian charity, unity, and concord, either in our own bosoms, or in the Church. Q. PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS ON MATT. V. 4. BLESSED, says the world, are the joyful and the gay. Blessed are the rich, the prosperous, and the healthy. Blessed are they who cast away care, who laugh and drink and sing; who are vexed by no earthly calamities on the one hand, and by no qualms of conscience on the other; who dread no devil, who fear no hell, who feel no awful forebodings of a judgment to come, but having passed merrily through life, slip easily out of it without much horror in their minds, and without even a dying groan. Such are the world's happy men. Such is their blessedness. How many songs have been written in praise of the life which has been described, and have been sung with a chorus of joy by many a large company. But blessed, says our Saviour, are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Our Saviour warns us against the common joy of the world, for it is a joy which shall terminate in sorrow; whereas there is a sorrow the troubles of the righteous, but But while Butsecondly, the mourning spoken of by our Saviour may be understood as referring to that sorrow on account of sin which the Christian has felt, especially on his first repentance, and which he continues to feel in the daily exercise of the same grace. The sorrow of which we before spoke, often ends in joy, this always does, for this is that "godly sorrow" mentioned by St. Paul, "which worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of." Repentance is the foundation of all true comfort in religion. And repentance is accompanied with many a distressing thought, perhaps by many a tear, certainly by many a sorrowful remembrance of past negligences and sins: but such sorrow is soon turned into joy, and therefore "blessed are they who thus mourn, for they shall be comforted." Let us not then complain of religion as gloomy, though we should see some pious persons severely afflicted, and also much cast down. They are cast down perhaps only for a time: they may be suffering under a deep sense of their unworthiness, and as yet may have become but imperfectly acquainted with the grace of their Redeemer. A Mary weeping at the feet of Jesus, and even a Lazarus lying at the gate full of sores, are happier than a Dives clothed with purple and fine linen, and faring sumptuously every day. "One in his life time receives his good things, and the other his evil things; but soon the one shall be comforted and the other tormented." "Blessed" then (as our Saviour is represented to say in another Gospel)" are ye that hunger now for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh. But woe unto you who are rich, for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you who laugh now, for ye shall mourn and weep." The laughter of the ungodly is as the crackling of thorns which is soon over; but the affliction of the righteous, though for the present it be not joyous but grievous, afterwards bringeth forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness. CHRIST. OESERV. No. 53. S. P. For the Christian Observer. SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DUTIES BINDING ON THE CHRISTIAN IN HIS INTERCOURSE WITH OTHERS. In all our intercourse with our neighbours, we are directed to one plain simple rule; "You shall do to others as you would they should do unto you." We are referred also to a simple but most powerful principle, "You shall love your neighbour as yourselves." Now the true Christian will endeavour always to speak and act under the influence of that principle, and according to that rule. He will seek therefore the good of his neighbour; and numerous opportunities will probably occur when he may be the instrument of much good to him. He will at least be careful that he do not injure him by his intercourse. Having laid down these general principles, I shall now proceed to point out a few particulars, in which a Christian will be studious of his neighbour's good to edification. He will endeavour, by his example at least, to discountenance the practice of traducing others. When an absent person is named in a way which tends to discredit his character or reputation, he will immediately set a watch over his lips. He will place himself in the situation of the accused person, and will consider how he himself would wish to be treated were he the subject of accusation. He will regard himself therefore as the guardian of the absent individual, While he discharges the debt which he owes to justice, in expressing his abhorrence of what is really wrong, he will take care, on the other hand, to speak very tenderly of the of fender. He will not condemn without sure grounds. He will not hastily or readily join in the condemnation. He will be very slow in believing all that is reported. He will recollect how much exaggeration there is in the world. And he will consider what might be said by the accused person in his own deOo fence. Where he cannot entirely a tribute of flattery, he will not acquit, he will yet' judge tenderly, and with a due sense of the infirmity of human nature; and will rather be silent, or turn the conversation to some other subject, than be loud in the cry against his neighbour. There is a common and sinful practice in the world of holding up absent persons to ridicule, in which the Christian will be careful not to join. It is not here intended to forbid good-humoured and innocent reflections on absent friends. There is a way of mentioning their peculiarities without diminishing the regard which ought to be felt for them. But how frequently are a man's foibles placed in so prominent a light, as to obscure his more valuable qualities, and to make him appear so ridiculous, that his influence is diminished, and his character lowered. Here, therefore, it will be necessary to weigh well our words, as the injury we may do in this is incalculable. It is posBible that, with some of the hearers at least, the unfavourable impression which is thus produced, may never be effaced: and if the person who is made the object of ridicule has the reputation of being a religious character, religion itself may be degraded in their esteem by being thus unhappily associated. way It will be allowed, I conceive, to be the duty of a Christian to study to promote his neighbour's real good. But how often is a principle adopt -ed, which is destructive of this end? How often is it made the object to please him even at the expence of injuring him? Few things are more seriously hurtful, and yet few things are more common in the world, than to flatter those with whom we converse.This may indeed please them: but how will it please them? By gratifying that vanity which is at once their sin and snare. A Christian then will be very cautious in employing complimentary expresIf he sees another under the influence of vanity, laying wait for gions. conciliate his favour by flattering him. He will please God rather than man. He will consider the future good of the person rather than his present gratification. It is dreadful to reflect how much evil has been done by the prostituting of our speech in the way which is here censured. The most flagitious persons have not only been received into company, but have even been flattered as if they had been guilty of no crime: and though every tongue can be loud in censuring them when absent, no disapprobation is manifested towards them when present. Thus the notions of virtue and vice are confounded; and vice grows bold and hardened, not meeting the shame and contempt which it deserves. The Christian ought also to be careful, lest by an unguarded method of expressing himself in conversation, he should countenance and confirm his neighbour in his sins. Is a person for instance guilty of excess in drinking? A considerate Christian will carefully avoid every expression, which may be construed by him into an apology for his vices. He will not therefore commend, at least without due discrimi nation, the character of another, who may be addicted to the same pernicious habit; nor will he declaim against being too rigid and precise: for however just his remarks might be when made to a hermit in his cell, or however true the words may be, taken in themselves; they may prove very injurious when applied, as they will be, by the person to whom they are addressed. The same rule holds good with respect to every other vice of our neighbour. It is our duty to consider what is his failing, and to guard against strengthening it. This will not indeed be the way to please him; but to please must not be the first and principal object in our intercourse with others, though it may and ought to be a secondary one: to do real good to our neigh |